Powhatan High School

Due to the conditions caused by today's additional snowfall, all PCPS activities are canceled for Saturday, February 7, 2026.

Due to snow accumulation and worsening road conditions, all PCPS school activities are canceled for tonight, February 6, 2026.

This afternoon, the Powhatan County School Board met to discuss adjustments to the school division’s calendar. As a result of prolonged closures due to winter weather, PCPS has missed 11 full days of school as of February 3rd. In an effort to recoup some of the instructional time that has been lost, the School Board convened a special meeting on February 6th to consider reclaiming upcoming dates as full school days.
During today’s meeting, the School Board voted unanimously to make the following changes to the 2025-2026 school calendar:
• February 16th, which was previously a Student & Staff Holiday, will now be a snow make-up day for students and staff.
• March 16th, which was previously a Student & Staff Holiday for all except 12-month employees, will now be a snow make-up day for students and staff.

The School Board has also discussed reinstating April 6th as a holiday. However, that decision will not be considered until the March 10th School Board meeting.
The purpose of these changes is to ensure that students remain academically prepared for the remainder of the school year.
We appreciate your understanding and flexibility as we work to balance instructional time with the needs of our school community. Thank you for your continued partnership and support of Powhatan County Public Schools.

Mrs. DeHart’s AP Environmental Science students at Powhatan High School took a closer look at the Olympics, focusing on what happens beyond the medals. 🥇🥈🥉 Students researched past Olympic Games, learning about the host country, how venues were built, the environmental impacts on each location, and what became of the sites once the Games were over. 🌍♻️
#WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan

As part of National School Counseling Week, we are thrilled to recognize our middle and high school counselors! 🧡🖤
* Powhatan Middle: Skyler Pecci, Austen Winkler, Terry Baldwin, and Amy Conrad
* Powhatan High School: Kelyn Captain, Doug Reimondo, Caryn Rehme, Sarah Baltimore, and Chrissie Holley
Our secondary counselors support students through some of their most important years – helping them navigate academics, social-emotional growth, and planning for life beyond graduation. From course planning and career pathways to personal support and encouragement, their guidance helps students see what’s possible and take confident next steps. Thank you to our middle and high school counselors for your commitment to our students and your impact across our schools.
#WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan

It’s National School Counseling Week, and we want to celebrate our school counselors! 🧡🖤 We’ll start with our elementary school counselors:
* Flat Rock Elementary: Elizabeth Davis-Crane and Annmarie Horne
* Pocahontas Elementary: Amy Kastelberg, Jennifer Lavimodiere, and Kelsey Pollitt
* Powhatan Elementary: Peggy Jenkins and Sydney-Ann Perry
These amazing staff members help our youngest learners with everything from building big feelings skills to supporting friendships, confidence, and problem-solving. Our elementary counselors play a vital role in helping students feel safe, supported, and ready to learn. Thank you for all you do for our students, families, and school communities.
#WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan

REMINDER: Friday, February 6 is a Student Holiday and Staff Professional Development Day. If the School Board votes at its meeting at 1:00 p.m. on Friday to make any potential changes to the school division’s calendar, we will share the information as soon as possible.

It was awesome to welcome students back to school today after so many days out because of snow and ice. The photos here (as well as others posted on our Facebook page) capture a glimpse of students returning to two of our schools – Powhatan Middle and Powhatan High. What a treat to see classrooms full again, routines restarting, and familiar faces back where they belong. Days like today take many people working together, and we’re grateful to everyone who helped make the return possible. 🧡🖤
#WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan

Opening Powhatan County Public Schools on time this morning was a team effort, and we are so proud of all of the work that went into making today possible before the first bell even rang.
❄️ A huge thank-you to our Facilities staff, who have been working for more than a week alongside contractors to get school parking lots and sidewalks clear and safe for everyone to enter school grounds.
🚌 We are incredibly grateful to our bus and car drivers and their aides for their dedication, professionalism, and steady commitment to safe driving – especially when conditions require extra care and patience. Thank you for all you do!
🔧 We also extend a sincere thank-you to our mechanics, who helped get the transportation lot and vehicles clear to ensure they were ready to roll, and to our transportation department leaders, who monitored road conditions, coordinated logistics, adjusted routes and stops as needed, and communicated updates to families.
🤝 Last but certainly not least, we appreciate our families for their flexibility and partnership as we worked through some modified pickup and drop-off locations. Your cooperation helped make today a success.
We’re grateful for the teamwork and care that helped make today a safe and successful day for our students learning in person.
#WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan

Two-thirds of our Human Resources team – Director Cyndee Blount and Assistant Director Amanda Johnson – spent the day at Virginia State University connecting with future educators and professionals at a job fair. It was a great opportunity to share what makes Powhatan County Public Schools a special place to work and to meet talented individuals interested in joining our team.
If you or someone you know is exploring career opportunities, current job openings are always available on the Careers page of the PCPS website. 🧡🖤
#WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan

Good afternoon PCPS Community. The Powhatan County School Board Recap for Monday's work session is ready to view. As always, the goal of this newsletter is to help people who don't have the time to come to or watch full School Board meetings still stay abreast of what is going on in our school division. The newsletter link is in the comments.

Powhatan County Public Schools will open on-time on Wednesday, February 4, 2026.
Families who use PCPS transportation will receive a separate notification by early this evening with details about alternate transportation routes. This plan is necessary because some secondary roads and neighborhoods remain unsafe for school buses to travel.
We appreciate your patience and partnership as we work to safely resume normal operations.

This is a Powhatan County School Board Notice of Special Meeting. Pursuant to Virginia Code § 2.2-3707: Please take notice that the Powhatan County School Board will hold a special meeting at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, February 6, 2026, at the Pocahontas Landmark Center, 4290 Anderson Hwy, Powhatan, VA. The board is meeting to vote on a decision on makeup days for weather-related closings. This notice is being provided in accordance with the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and will be open to the public.

We recognize that not all secondary roads and neighborhoods have been fully cleared. For this reason, Powhatan County Public Schools will be closed for students on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, with all after-school activities canceled.
PCPS is working on a transportation plan that may include alternate pickup and drop-off points to safely transport students. Families should monitor communications for updates regarding reopening on Wednesday with transportation adjustments.
PCPS remains committed to getting students back in school as soon as possible. Thank you for your understanding and support.

We are a little overdue in giving a shout out to the amazing business and industry partners who work with Powhatan High School to give students in its Building Trades 2 and Electricity 2 classes an opportunity to gain real-world experience through Youth Registered Apprenticeships (YRA).
As part of these partnerships, seniors work on the job two days a week, with some students beginning as early as June before their senior year and others starting later in the summer or fall. All participating students were registered with the Department of Labor, allowing their hours to count toward future state-registered apprenticeships if they choose to continue in their trade.
This year marks the first time Building Trades 2 students are participating in the YAR program, and it has highlighted the powerful connection between classroom learning and hands-on experience. We are incredibly grateful to our business and industry partners for investing their time, expertise, and trust in our students. These partnerships are essential to the success of our Career and Workforce Development programs as the combination of curriculum and on-the-job training helps students gain employability and occupation specific skills. 🧡🖤
#WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan

Persistent below-freezing temperatures have limited melting from last weekend’s snow and ice, making many secondary and neighborhood roads still unsafe. Despite continued work by our Facilities team and outside contractors, some PCPS parking lots also remain unsafe. There are also neighborhood roads that are not safe for school buses, vans, and other vehicles to navigate.
As a result, Powhatan County Public Schools will remain closed on Monday, February 2, 2026. All after-school activities are canceled.
Since schools are closed, Monday will be the perfect time for students to work on the practice/review packets their teachers provided the week before the snow.
We understand that prolonged closures place a burden on families, and we do not make this decision lightly. These steps are necessary to ensure the safety of everyone we serve, and we truly appreciate your patience and understanding.
Please take care and stay safe.

Last week at Powhatan High School, 11th grade U.S. History students in Mr. Hall and Mr. Garland’s collaborative class took part in a Civil War and Reconstruction scavenger hunt in the library designed to strengthen their use of primary sources as tools for studying history. Students rotated through stations that challenged them to analyze documents, images, and historical evidence in hands-on ways. One station featured an interactive display purchased through a Powhatan Education Foundation Classroom Innovation Grant awarded to Loren Jacobs for her project, Touch & Learn: An Interactive Display to Ignite Curiosity in High School. The technology gave students an engaging way to explore historical content. 🧡🖤
#WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan

Students in Ms. Smith’s Veterinary Science 2 Honors class at Powhatan High School recently conducted a hands-on lab focused on disease transmission and vaccines. As part of the lab, students learned how vaccines are properly mixed, including the importance of timing and precise technique. They practiced vaccine reconstitution, which involves mixing a freeze-dried vaccine powder with a liquid diluent from a separate vial. Students also explored why exact dosing is critical to improving the chances of full immunity.
#WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan

This is a notice of Reschedule for the Powhatan County School Board Budget Work Session. Pursuant to Virginia Code 5 2.2-3707: Due to hazardous road conditions and school closures, the Budget Work Session scheduled for Friday, January 30, 2026, has been rescheduled to:
DATE: Monday, February 2, 2026
TIME: 2:00 - 4:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Pocahontas Landmark Center
4290 Anderson Hwy, Powhatan, VA
This notice is being provided in accordance with the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.
This meeting will be open to the public.

Behind the scenes, our Facilities team has been working tirelessly to clear snow and ice across our schools in challenging and frigid conditions. The photos shared here, taken earlier today at several of our buildings, show some of the clearing that has been done and just how much work remains. We’re grateful for their dedication and for the support of the Virginia Department of Transportation as we continue working to restore safe conditions for our school communities. Thank you for taking care of our schools and our people. 💙🧡🖤
#WeArePCPS #TeamPowhatan